


Siren

by Bingo (Zebra), Yuletide (Zebra)



Series: Advent Challenge: Christmas Round 2011 [6]
Category: Captain Future - Fandom
Genre: AU Bingo Fill, Advent Calendar - Day 6, Advent Challenge 2011, Alternate Universe, Beta Wanted, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-12-06
Updated: 2011-12-06
Packaged: 2017-10-27 00:38:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 720
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/289650
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zebra/pseuds/Bingo, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zebra/pseuds/Yuletide
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Curtis is new at his chosen job and encounters a possibly deadly mystery.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Siren

**Author's Note:**

> This also fills the [Alternate Universe Bingo](http://au-bingo.livejournal.com/) prompt "Sirens".

This wasn't what Curt had imagined when he decided to forgo the life of an average human and instead dedicate himself to fight crime and create a better future for humanity.

But he supposed not every case could be excited dashing across the universe, fighting criminals bare-fisted and solving scientific problems. And he was a young man, nobody knew him, it stood to reason that they would wish to test him first.

He still didn't like babysitting this archeological dig and keeping an eye out for smugglers.

Although, maybe this would turn into a case for him. During the last week they had lost five members of the team, who simply went off without saying anything and never returning. They couldn't even find the bodies. Given that nothing in the immediate area was dangerous to humans or would eat meat, that was a bafflement.

Curtis had looked behind almost every rock, carefully dissected several plants. But there were no hidden native tribes out to eat the crew, nor were there meat-eating plants.

Curt looked out over the tranquil ocean. The three moons up in the dark night sky mirrored below in the dark waters.

The gentle lapping of the waves, the murmur of winds in the leaves, the night extruded a lazy calmness. Which was when he heard it, a soft harmony, wafting high pitched through the night.

Curt had never heard anything like it before, but it seemed to be close by. Out in the ocean.

He was a powerful swimmer, he decided to take a look, to see what kind of creature would create such a song.

The water was warm and welcomed him easily.

With strong strokes he propelled himself towards the song's origin, which drew closer and closer and yet kept out of sight.

He swam onwards, the moons in the sky his only companions. Further and further he went.

He couldn't say how long he swam, but eventually even his superhuman stamina gave out, his limbs started to hurt and eventually felt like they would cramp.

But still he pressed onwards, towards the sound compelling him.

Longer and longer he went under, struggling to keep afloat. His lungs started to hurt.

Finally he went under so long, that he was sure he'd never come up again. His mind cleared then. The others must have heard the song, too, and felt mindlessly drawn to it as he had felt drawn to it. Swimming till their bodies gave out, to vanish in the depths of the sea.

He felt the change in the water around him, and laboriously managed to breach the surface again. Desperately gasping for air he bumped against rock and held on.

In the moonlight he saw her like a mirage.

An ethereal beauty sitting on the rock. The blonde hair shining like a beacon in the night. Large luminous blue eyes looking at him in surprise. A pearl-colored tail like one would imagine a mermaid to have extending from a shapely female-looking upper body.

He caught his breath and dragged himself onto the rock.

She disappeared into the ocean then.

He held his hand out to her.

“Wait, I mean you no harm.”

Even if she heard him under the sea, she probably wouldn't understand a word he had said, but he had had to try. Drawn to the unknown like no song could draw him.

After few moments she surfaced a few meters away from the rock, simply looking at him.

He smiled.

“Hello. I'm Curt. I want to get to know you.”

She peered had him questioningly. He took it as a good sign, that she hadn't turned away or attacked him yet.

He gestured at himself and repeated his name a few times.

She dove below the sea.

Dammit, he had lost her. A new species, straight out of human myths and he had lost her.

With a splash she resurfaced mere centimeters away from him.

She made a sound, which she repeated. He took it to be her name and tried to approximate it the best he could.

“Joan? Your name is Joan?  
“Hello, Joan. Nice to meet you.”

She smiled at him then, and he fervently hoped that she wasn't the meat eating kind of mermaid and had not known the effect her singing had on humans.

☙End❧

* * *


End file.
